Clothes treating apparatus with steam generator

Abstract

A clothes treating apparatus includes a laundry keeping unit including at least one tray with a plurality of through holes formed thereon. A steam generator is detachably installed in the laundry keeping unit and configured to jet steam to the at least one tray. When the laundry is partially contaminated, steam may be concentratively jetted to the contaminated portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A clothes treating apparatus comprising:
 a cabinet; 
 a drum rotatably installed within the cabinet; 
 a driving unit for driving the drum; 
 a water supply unit for supplying washing water to the drum; 
 a draining unit for draining washing water from within the drum; 
 a laundry keeping unit detachably installed on an upper surface of the cabinet; and 
 a steam generator provided outside of the cabinet and configured to jet steam to laundry supported by the laundry keeping unit, the steam generator having a handle unit formed on an outer surface thereof, 
 wherein the laundry keeping unit includes:
 a keeping case having an upper opening and detachably disposed on the upper surface of the cabinet; 
 a tray having a plate shape with a plurality of through holes to penetrate condensate generated from laundry disposed on an upper surface thereof, the tray disposed on the upper opening of the keeping case; 
 a condensation collecting unit disposed below the tray in the keeping case, the condensation collecting unit receiving the condensate from the tray; and 
 a steam generator receiving unit formed on an upper surface of the keeping case to allow the steam generator to be detachably received, 
 wherein the keeping case includes insertion protrusions protruding from a lower surface of the keeping case so that the keeping case couples to the upper surface of the cabinet, and 
 
 wherein the handle unit of the steam generator is formed to be exposed to an upper side of the steam generator receiving unit to grasp and separate the steam generator from the steam generator receiving unit. 
 
     
     
       2. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the laundry keeping unit further comprises:
 a drain unit communicating with the condensation collecting unit, 
 wherein the drain unit is connected to the draining unit. 
 
     
     
       3. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the steam generator comprises:
 a steam generating unit having a space for accommodating water and including a heater to heat water to generate steam; 
 a case including the steam generating unit; and 
 a steam injecting unit in the case and communicating with the steam generating unit to jet steam. 
 
     
     
       4. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the water supply unit comprises:
 a water supply hose extending outside of the cabinet to supply water to the steam generating unit. 
 
     
     
       5. A clothes treating apparatus comprising:
 a laundry keeping unit including
 a keeping case having an upper opening, the case detachably disposed on an upper opening of a container accommodating laundry therein; 
 a tray having a plate shape with a plurality of through holes to penetrate condensate generated from laundry disposed on an upper surface thereof, the tray disposed on the upper opening of the keeping case; 
 a steam generator receiving unit formed on an upper surface of the keeping case to allow the steam generator to be detachably received, and 
 a steam generator detachably installed in the laundry keeping unit and configured to jet steam to the tray, the steam generator having a handle unit formed on an outer surface thereof, 
 wherein the keeping case includes insertion protrusions protruding from a lower surface of the keeping case so that the keeping case couples to a basket in which the laundry is kept, and 
 wherein the handle unit of the steam generator is formed to be exposed to an upper side of the steam generator receiving unit to grasp and separate the steam generator from the steam generator receiving unit. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the steam generator comprises:
 a steam generating unit having a space for accommodating water and including a heater to heat water to generate steam; 
 a case including the steam generating unit; and 
 a steam injecting unit in the case and configured to communicate with the steam generating unit to jet steam. 
 
     
     
       7. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a condensation collecting unit below the tray in the keeping case, the condensation collecting unit receiving the condensate from the tray. 
 
     
     
       8. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 5 ,
 wherein the steam generator includes an injection nozzle, and 
 wherein the steam generator receiving unit has an insertion hole, the insertion hole receiving the injection nozzle of the steam generator. 
 
     
     
       9. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the laundry keeping unit further comprises:
 a steam injection pipe configured to communicate with the insertion hole and to extend from the insertion hole to a lower surface of the laundry keeping unit through the laundry keeping unit. 
 
     
     
       10. A clothes treating apparatus comprising:
 a cabinet; 
 a drum rotatably installed within the cabinet; 
 a driving unit configured to rotatably drive the drum; 
 a water supply unit configured to supply washing water to the drum; 
 a draining unit configured to drain washing water from within the drum; and 
 a laundry keeping unit installed on the cabinet and the laundry keeping unit including
 a keeping case having an upper opening and detachably disposed on an upper surface of the cabinet; 
 a tray having a plate shape with a plurality of through holes to penetrate condensate generated from laundry disposed on an upper surface thereof, the tray disposed on the upper opening of the keeping case; and 
 a steam generator provided outside of the cabinet and configured to jet steam to laundry supported by the laundry keeping unit, the steam generator having a handle unit formed on an outer surface thereof, 
 wherein the laundry keeping unit further comprises a steam generator receiving unit formed on an upper surface of the keeping case to allow the steam generator to be detachably received, 
 wherein the keeping case includes insertion protrusions protruding from a lower surface of the keeping case so that the keeping case couples to the upper surface of the cabinet, and 
 wherein the handle unit of the steam generator is formed to be exposed to an upper side of the steam generator receiving unit to grasp and separate the steam generator from the steam generator receiving unit. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the laundry keeping unit further comprises:
 a condensation collecting unit installed below the tray. 
 
     
     
       12. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the laundry keeping unit further comprises:
 a drain unit configured to communicate with the condensation collecting unit, 
 wherein the drain unit is connected to the draining unit. 
 
     
     
       13. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the steam generator comprises:
 a steam generating unit having a space for accommodating water and including a heater to heat water to generate steam; 
 a case including the steam generating unit; and 
 a steam injecting unit provided in the case and configured to communicate with the steam generating unit to jet steam. 
 
     
     
       14. The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the water supply unit comprises:
 a water supply hose configured to extend outside of the cabinet to supply water to the steam generating unit.